Coated material



Patented .i'une l3, Wat

COATED MATERIAL William Whitehead, Rye, N. Y., assignor to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application May 16, 1941, Serial No. 393,781

(llaims. (Cl. 117-144) This invention relates to the coating of materials with plastic compositions, and relates more particularly to the production of coated fabrics,

such as artificial leather and the like, in which there is an improved bonding action between the base fabric and the coating of lastic composition.

An object of my invention is to prepare coated fabrics wherein there is an improved bonding action between the fabric base material and the coating.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an improved fabric base material for use in the preparation of coated material, such as artificial leather and the like.

Other objects of my invention will appear from the following detailed description.

In the manufacture of artificial leather and like materials, a coating is applied to a textile fabric base in any suitable manner, and the coated product is then passed through nip and/or embossing rollers to effect a union between the coating and the fabric base and to emboss on the coating the desired design or grain. The coating of the fabric base may be efiected by applying the coating material ,thereto in the form of a solution thereof in a volatile solvent, or in the form of a partially or completely converted or colloided plastic composition. In order to obtain a satisfactory bonding action between the coating material and the fabric base it is necessary in the case where a solution was used to employ a dilute solution in order that satisfactory penetration of the coating material into the fabric may be effected. This process suffered from the disadvantage that it was costly due to the large amount of solvent necessary and also because the solution obtained penetrated to the back of the fabric base causing unsightly blotches. Where partially or completely converted plastic compositions were employed it was necessary to use extremely high pressures for the purpose of obtaining a satisfactory bonding action between the coating material and fabric base. The use of such high pressures often injured the fabric base and, moreover, had a tendency to form a very stifi product with poor flexing qualities.

I have found that by employing a base fabric in which is incorporated fibers of a plastic composition, which composition is characterized by being compatible with the coating material, improved bonding action was effected between the coating material and fabric base without the necessity of employing extreme pressures or the saturation of the base material with a dilute solution of the coating material. The term compatible used in in this specification and claims is intended to mean that the two plastics are capable of welding together to form a unity.

In accordance with my invention, Iproduce a coated material by forming a base material of both plastic fibers and non-plastic fibers and applying thereto a coating composition which is compatible with the material comprising plastic fibers. Because of the compatibility of the plastic fibers of the base material with the material of the coating composition, the fibers and coatin composition become a unity and, since these plastic fibers are embedded and locked into the base material by virtue of the construction thereof, the coating is substantially permanently anchored to the base material. Accordingly, in accordance with the process of this invention, it is ,not necessary for the coating material to penetrate any substantial depth into the base material in order to insure a good bonding action.

Any suitable plastic compound may be employed as the coating composition in this invention. For instance, I may employ derivatives of cellulose such as cellulose nitrate ororganic derivatives of cellulose. The organic derivatives of cellulose may be organic esters of cellulose, such as cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate or cellulose butyrate, or they may be cellulose ethers such as ethyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose. Furthermore, mixed esters, mixed ethers or esterethers of cellulose such as cellulose aceto-butyrate, ethyl-benzyl cellulose and methyl cellulose acetate may be employed. Less preferably, plastic compounds other than derivatives of cellulose, such as halogenated rubber, vinyl resins and the like may be employed in this invention provided, however, that the plastic fibers incorporated with the base material are compatible with the coating composition to be applied thereto.

Any desired modifying agent for the plastic compound may be incorporated therewith. By modifying agent I mean any substance which is adapted to impart any desired properties such as softness, elasticity, flexibility, hardness, gloss,

.color, stability, etc. to the finished product. Such modifying agents may be plasticizers, dyes, pigments lakes, filling materials, resins, oils, etc. The specific modifying agents employed may be selected from the great list known in the art to efiect the desired result in the finished product.

This invention is applicable to the production of coated textile products from any fabric base material containing both filaments or fibers of plastic material and filaments or fibers of non-' plastic material. For instance. the coating may be applied to fabric base materials, such as twills, sateens, sheeting, duck, moleskin, flannel, fiannelet, gabardine, balloon cloth, in which base ma terials there has been incorporated filaments or fibers of a plastic material. The fabric base material preferably contains from 50-99% of non plastic filaments or fibers, such as cotton, regenerated or reconstituted cellulose, flax, asbestos, wool, hair, natural sills, spun glass, etc., or mixtures of two or more of these non-plastic mate rials, the remainder being filaments or fibers of a plastic material which is compatible with the coating composition to be applied to the base material. The plastic filaments or fibers may be made of the same or of a different material from that of the coating composition, it being essential to the process, however, that the materials employed as the plastic filaments or fibers are capable of fusing to the material of the coating composition by the application of heat and/or mutual solvents or a solvent for one plastic which is at least a swelling agent for the other. I have found that particularly good results are obtained byincorporating as the plastic filaments or fibers in the base material filaments or fibers of cellulose acetate, where the coating composition comprises nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate or other organic derivatives of cellulose.

Athough the plastic filaments or fibers may comprise from 1 to 50% of the base material, excellent results are obtained where the base ma terial contains from 5 to 20% of suclrplastic filaments or fibers. The plastic filaments or fibers may be incorporated in the base material in any suitable manner during the manufacture of the base material such as by felting a mixture of plastic and non-plastic fibers or by spinning such a mixture into yarns and then weaving or knitting the. yarns into a fabric. I have found, however, that when the base materlal is a fabric good results are obtained by forming of the base material. Accordingly, the base material is left pliable and the back surface of the same is not marred by blotches caused by the coating material seeping through to that surface.

c The coatings may be applied to the base material in any suitable manner such as spraying a. solution or spreading a flowable mass of the coating on the base material and then removing one or more of the constituents to solidify the material. For instance, nitrocellulose or cellulose acetate may be dissolved in a suitable solvent that is also a solvent or swelling agent for the plastic yarns of the basematerial. This solution sprayed onto the base material and then evaporating the solvent. Examples of suitable solvents are acetone, acetone and methyl or ethyl alcohol, chloroform, ethyl acetate, etc. Films or foils of thermoplastic coating material may be pressed onto the base material with heat and pressure, with or without solvents and swelling agents, to effect aunion of the coating material a doubled yarn, i. e. one having one or more ends of yarn consisting of non-plastic fibers or filamerits twisted from 1' to 35 or more.turns per inch with one or more ends of a yam of plastic fibers or filaments. This doubled yarn may be knitted or itmay be woven into a fabric as the weft or warp yarns or both, or it may alternate with other yarns in either the warp or weft or both. When employing such doubled yarns the coating material fuses tothe plastic yarns wherever they appear at or near the top surface of. the base materialbecoming a unity with the coating. The coating may then be considered as extending down into the fabric. in some instances to the undersurf'ace and in other instances merely around a few ends, then back to the surface layer of the coating. In such instances, the coating layer may be pictured as a sheet having loops extending into and inter- A suitable basewovenwith the base material. fabric may also be produced by weaving yarns of plastic fibers or filaments with yarns of nonand the plastic yarns of the base material which, in this case, also should be thermoplastic. In the latter case the pressure and other conditions may be varied to effect little or no penetration of the coating film or foil, into the base material or to effect a substantial penetration into the interstices of the base material. The films or foils of thermoplastic coating may be preformed or formed simultaneously with the application thereof to the base material.

As a means of illustrating my invention, but without being limited thereto, the following examples are given:

' Example I A fabricis woven with a sateen weave 38 inches wide, weighting 8 ounces to the yard and theback side napped. The warp yarns are single 13's cotton yam placed 83 .ends'per inch and the filling yarns are one l3s cotton yam doubled with one 13's cellulose acetate spun yarn placed 24 picks per inch. This makes a fabric having about 18% by weight of cellulose acetate fibers. A somewhat viscous solution containing nitrocellulose, camphor, acetone, plasticizers and pigments is prepared. This solution is spread onto the above fabric, smoothed out by doctor blades and embossed. between heated rollers which evaporate the acetone and other volatile constituents, if any, from the plastic. The coating is found to be well bonded to the fabric and the cellulose acetate fibers at or near the surface are welded into the coating material due in part to the solvent action of the acetone.

Example II A fabric similar to that described in Example I is formed. A film is formed having a cellulose acetate base and suitable plasticizers and pigments. This film is heated until tacky and then it is superimposed upon the fabric and the laminated material passed between heated nip rollers effecting a partial penetration of the film into the fabric and removing any air pockets or blisters. The coating is found to be well bonded to the fabric with the cellulose acetate fibers at or near the interface welded to the coating so a to form a part of said coating.

This invention is applicable to the production of sheet and roll material such as artificial leather, oilcloth, or enameled cloth, linoleums, washable wall decorations or wall paper, etc. These materials may be employed as upholstery materials. table covers, table-tops, wall covering the application of the coating composition such as airplane luggage wherein the base fabric is affixed to a frame, of say a trunk, and then sprayed with a dope or solution of plastic to form outer sur- 1. A coated material characterized by having an improved bondbetween the fabric base and the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric base containing doubled yarns of 'filamentary materials of a derivative of cellulose, selected from the group consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose ethers, and filamentary materials of non-plastic material, and bonded to said fabric base a coatingcomposition comprising a derivative of cellulose selected from the group consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose ethers.

2. A coated material characterized by having an improved bond between the fabric base and the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric base containing doubled yarns of filamentary materials of a derivative of cellulose, selected from thegroup consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose ethers, and filamentary materials of non-plastic material, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising nitrocellulose.

.3. A coated material characterized .by having an improved bond between the fabric base and the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric base' containing doubled yarns of filamentary materials of a derivative of cellulose, selected from the group consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose ethers, and filamentary materials of non-plastic material, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising cellulose acetate.

4. A coated material characterized by having an improved bond between the fabric base and' the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric base containing doubled yarns, said doubled yarns containing at least'one end of filamentary materials of a derivative of cellulose, selected from the group consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose ethers, and at least one end of filamentar'y materials of non-plastic material, and

bonded to said fabric base a coating composition.

yarns containing at least one end of filamentary materials of a derivative of cellulose, selectedfrom the group consisting ofcellulose esters and cellulose ethers, and at least one end of filamentary materials of non-plastic material, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising nitrocellulose.

6. A coated material characterized by having an improved bond between the fabric base and thecoating applied thereto, comprising a fabric base containing doubled yarns, said doubled yarns containing at least one end of filamentary materials of a derivative of cellulose, selected from the group consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose. ethers, and at least one end'of filamentary materials of non-plastic material, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising cellulose acetate.

7. A coated material characterized by having an improved bond between the fabric base and the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric basev containing doubled yarns, said doubled yarns containing at least one end of filamentary materials of cellulose acetate and at least one end of filamentary materials of non-plastic ma! terial, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising a derivative of cellulose selected from the group consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose ethers.-

8. A coated material characterized by having an improved bond between the fabric base and the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric:

base containing doubled yarns said doubled yarns containing at least one end of filamentary materials of cellulose acetate and at least one end of filamentary materials of non-plastic material,

said cellulose acetate filamentary materials containing from 5 to 20% of the weight of the fabric, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising a derivative of cellulose se-. lected from the group, consisting of cellulose esters and cellulose ethers.

9. A coated material characterized by having an'improved bond the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric base containing doubled yarns, said doubled yarns containing at least one end of filamentary materials of cellulose acetate and at least one end of filamentary materials of non-plastic material, said cellulose acetate filamentary materials containing from 5 to 20% of the weight of the fabric, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising nitrocellulose.

10. A coated material characterized by having an improved bond between the fabric base and the coating applied thereto, comprising a fabric base containing doubled yarns, said doubled yarns containing at least one end of filamentary materials of cellulose acetate and at least one end of filamentary materials of non-plastic material, said cellulose acetate filamentary materials containing from 5 to 20% of the weight of the fabric, and bonded to said fabric base a coating composition comprising cellulose acetate.

tween the fabric base and, 

